Siren
Sirens are female creatures known to lure sailors with their enthralling songs in order to kill them. Their appearance varies immensely, ranging from women with bird wings and/or bird legs to mermaid-like creatures to simple (albeit extraordinarily beautiful) humanoids. Oftentimes they may be portrayed as shapeshifters, or able to project an illusory appearance. History The idea of female water beings who lure people to death with their beauty and/or hypnotic singing is present in numerous cultures and can be associated with creatures such as Hulders, Mermaids, Morgens, Nixies, Rusalkas and Xanas. Nowadays, Sirens are most often found in the sea, usually in rocky islands and shores. Traditionally, the Sirens were typically associated with a specific island, or, according to Roman authors like Ovid, a formation of three small rocky islands called the Sirenum scopuli, off the coast of Italy. However, in earlier myth they were not necessarily sea-dwelling and could also be associated with meadows, rather than sea islands. Perhaps the most notable encounter with Sirens in documented history is that of Odysseus from Homer's Odyssey, who ordered his crew to protect their ears with beeswax and tie him to his ship's mast, for he wanted to hear the Sirens singing. When the ship passed close to the Siren's island, he desperately begged his men to untie him, wishing to follow the beautiful voices. But his men had their ears covered and thus heard none of his pleas, allowing Odysseus to travel past the Sirens and survive. The voyage of Jason and the Argonauts also involved an encounter with the Sirens. Fortunately, Orpheus managed to silence them by playing an even more beautiful song with his lyre. Only one crewman, the sharp-eared Butes, was caught by the Sirens' music and jumped out of the boat, but fortunately, the goddess Aphrodite saved him. According to some later authors, the Sirens were fated to live only until the day someone would pass by and resist their enchants - therefore it can be assumed that the ones encountered by Odysseus and by the Argonauts died shortly afterwards. Other versions state that the Sirens were driven to suicide at their failure and purposely drowned themselves. Sirens are also mentioned in Euripides' play Helen, where the title character describes them as "winged maids" and "Earth's virgin daughters". An origin story for the Sirens is provided by Ovid in his Metamorphoses. In this version, the Sirens were once handmaidens of the goddess Persephone, daughter of Zeus and Demeter. When Persephone was abducted by Hades to become his wife, Demeter transformed the Sirens, giving them wings to be able to fly and retrieve the young goddess. Alternatively, other authors have stated that Demeter transformed them as a form of punishment for failing to save her daughter. The Sirens' singing has even been interpreted as a lament over not being able to protect her. Appearance As stated above, the Greeks typically portrayed the Sirens as large birds with human heads, similar to Harpies. Later authors and artists have variously portrayed them as beautiful women with bird wings and/or bird legs; as mermaid-like beings; or simply as beautiful nubile maids which may or may not be able to shapeshift into a fish-like or bird-like form. In modern fiction, the appearance and nature of the Sirens is extremely variable. Those from The Witcher resemble winged mermaids, with huge dragon-like wings and a long serpentine tail. In Martin Mystery, the Siren is a shapeshifter who alternates between a human form and a monstrous avian form. In Supernatural, they're depicted as strange ghoulish humanoids, but are able to project an illusory human appearance which can be male or female. Once the Siren gets close to its human victim, it injects them with a hormone that causes intense pleasure, love and devotion towards the Siren. It then compels its victim to conduct some terrible act - usually killing the person the victim loves most - in order to prove their love for the Siren. The creatures referred to as Sirens in Ice Age: Continental Drift resemble large reptilian lungfish and are likewise able to cast an illusory appearance to make them look attractive to their intended victims. Meanwhile, the "New Traveler's Almanac" from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen features an extinct species of flightless bird predators known as Siren Birds, which inhabited an island in the Mediterranean Sea and evolved to physically resemble beautiful women from the waist up, in order to attract humans and prey upon them. In Extreme Ghostbusters, Siren is the name of an individual ghost with a magical singing voice who is the sister of Banshee. Historically, the close association between Sirens and Mermaids may be rooted in the fact that in several languages, the same word is used for both creatures, for instance, French (Sirène) and Portuguese (Sereia). Famous naturalist Peter Artedi once described the Siren in detail, picturing a creature reminiscent of the typical mermaid: Behavior The Siren's method of killing also varies. Traditionally, they've been described as luring ships to the rocky cliffs to provoke shipwrecks. However, notable authors like Pliny the Elder and even Leonardo Da Vinci claimed that the Sirens would lull their victims to sleep with their songs and then brutally kill them while they're sleeping. Furthermore, while most stories end with the lured men (and women) being killed and devoured by the Sirens, sometimes they may instead be portrayed as drowning, or dying from starvation while unable to free themselves from the enchant and leave the Sirens. Alternatively, in some modern interpretations, the song itself may be portrayed as lethal, similar to a Banshee's. Gallery Sirens-AncientGreece.jpg|Odysseus and the Sirens, here portrayed as giant birds with woman heads. SirenaDeCanosa.jpg|The Siren of Canosa, represented with wings, legs and tail of a bird. SirenParthenope-Cappacio.jpg|Siren by Giulio Cesare Capaccio, 1592. Sirens-GustaveMoreau1872.jpg|Sirens by Gustave Moreau, 1872. Birdwomen-HansThomas1886.jpg|Birdwomen (not explicitly identified as Sirens, but similar) by Hans Thomas, 1886. Siren-Armitage.JPG|Siren by Edward Armitage, 1888. Siren-ExtremeGhostbusters.png|Siren from Extreme Ghostbusters. Siren-FFTnS.png|Siren from the Final Fantasy games. MyuuteLunaSires.jpg|Myuute Luna Sires, a Siren character from Gate. Siren-GodOfWar.jpg|Siren from God of War. Sirens-Godzilla.png|Sirens from Godzilla. IceAge-Sirens.jpg|Sirens from Ice Age: Continental Drift. Siren-LeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen.jpg|Siren Bird from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. SirenTransformed-MartinMystery.jpg|Siren in her monstrous form, from Martin Mystery. Sirens-SamuraiJack.jpg|The Sirens from Samurai Jack. Siren-Supernatural.jpg|Siren from Supernatural. Siren-TheWitcher.jpg|Siren from The Witcher games. ''Face Off'' Sirens In the Face Off Season 9 episode "Siren Song", the contestants were challenged to create beautiful but deadly Sirens, each inspired by a specific sea animal. Boxfish Siren.png|Boxfish Siren. Nudibranch Siren.png|Nudibranch Siren. Octopus Siren.png|Octopus Siren. Sea Slug Siren.png|Sea Slug Siren. Shrimp Siren.png|Shrimp Siren. Siphonophore Siren.png|Siphonophore Siren. Snail Siren.png|Snail Siren. Surgeonfish Siren.png|Surgeonfish Siren. Notes *The name Siren is also used for a genus of aquatic salamanders. See also *Siren (Ice Age) *Siren Bird Category:Legendary Creatures Category:Shapeshifting Creatures Category:Females Category:Psychic Creatures Category:Sonokinetic Creatures Category:Sentient Beings Category:Sapient Beings Category:Man-Eaters Category:European Creatures Category:Sea Creatures Category:Merfolk Category:Literary Creatures Category:Comic Book Creatures Category:TV Show Creatures Category:Movie Creatures Category:Video Game Creatures Category:Asterix Universe Category:Dragon's Dogma Universe Category:Final Fantasy Universe Category:Gate Universe Category:Ghostbusters Universe Category:God of War Universe Category:Martin Mystery Universe Category:Supernatural Universe Category:The Witcher Universe Category:Buffy Universe Category:Face Off Universe Category:Hercules and Xena Universe Category:Extreme Category:Samurai Jack Universe Category:Animated Creatures Category:Characters Portrayed by Tara Strong Category:Characters Portrayed by Jennifer Hale Category:Syfy Channel Universe Category:Disney Universes